Jazz for aficionados

Acman3, I have empathy for all human beings, especially musicians, and I hope your friend Mr. John Purcell gets better.

Jimmy giuffre opening for jazz on a summers day is my best example of West coast jazz.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfLsEH4csQ4

Chico Hamiltons "Topsy" is another good one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fE73sAZxlE

Now you're an aficionado of West Coast jazz.

Enjoy the music.

Orpheus, two great choices. Loved the Jimmy Giuffre cut; hadn't heard that before. Players from that era were amazing musicians; they listened to and took in the influence of just about everything. On that cut can be heard shades of Copland's "Hoedown", Gershwin, as well as, of course, the blues. Great stuff.

Another great Chico Hamilton record that I appreciate is "Gongs East" featuring Eric Dolphy, surely one of the most distinctive alto sounds ever.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EpI2j3e7r5U

Acman3, Lee Konitz is one of the greatest of the West Coast players and an influence on Art Pepper and Paul Desmond. He is the alto player on the Birth Of The Cool sessions even though Sonny Stitt was the original choice and Evans decided that Stitt's sound was too steeped in be-bop (Charlie Parker) and they wanted a "cooler" sound. Glad you mentioned him, this record belongs on my favorites list, and is highly recommended

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LAufCG4rH6o

BTW, related to the above, Orpheus10's comments re Bird's influence are well taken. His influence turned the jazz world upside down, and it was to the credit of players like Konitz that they chose a different path.

Lee Konitz is often associated with the "West Coast Jazz" school,while this is wrong geographically it is correct as as far as his influence on many of the players in the early 50's.One mentions his influence on Art Pepper,very minor,the big influence on Pepper was Benny Carter and Charlie Parker.Pepper was a member of the Stan Kenton band before Konitz and it was the Kenton band that brought Konitz to the West.Kenton was based in Southern California and drew the players from this area.Konitz was offered a job with Kenton,in i believe 1950-1 and approached his teacher and mentor Lennie Tristano about this decision to join a coomerecial big band.Tristano was adamant about Konitz not going with Kenton,concerned with the "commerciality" of Kenton's music,not to mention Lennie did not want to lose his best student.Konitz' decision to join Kenton caused a multi-year astrangement from the Tristano circle.During this time,the early 50's Konitz won magazine polls and became internationally well known,travelling to Europe with Kenton and making records there.His solos on the Kenton records became very popular among saxophonists.Otherwords,this choice to go with Kenton was a major pivot in Konitz' career.
He ended up in L.A. in the early 50's and "sat in" with the Gerry Mulligan/Chet Baker group,of course he knew Mulligan from the Birth of the cool bands and before that,the Claude Thornhill orchestra.It is these recordings that seem to tie Konitz to the "West Coast" school.
Certainly these early 50's Lee Konitz recordings can't be praised enough,as noted above,this was a rare departure from the Bird's overwhelming influence,and it was more than a deaparture,it was a fully formed and totally distinct approach to the saxophone.As Warne Marsh used to say"The YOUNG Lee Konitz was a beautiful thing" and that is very true.
The whole "West Coast" Jazz moniker has always been a confusing one.Lots of the remaining Big bands were centered in L.A. and this brought lots of musicians to the area,notably Kenton and Woody Herman.The scene evolved almost a good ten years after the birth of Be-Bop in New York and the lack of actual Jazz club work called for more "woodsheding" and rehearsal groups...Jimmy Giuffre,Chico Hamilton,Bob Brookmeyer.There was more experimintation without commercial scrutiny.Interesting,that many of these musicians had to return to New York to work and let these ideas breathe.Mingus was a good example of this,although a few years earlier.Dolphy,Giuffre,Brookmeyer,Jim Hall and others gravitated back to New York to make the music that was born in garages in L.A. bY 1954 Lee Konitz was finished with Kenton and ready himself to return to New York to start the next chapter of his music.His association with the West Coast school of Jazz,such as it was,well behind him.